NSW Aboriginal rugby goes it alone : Melbourne Indymedia

“It’s finished!” writes ANSL Chairman, Michael Anderson in a media release in which he speaks of ridiculous demands, blackmail and dictatorship.

Anderson says the Super League has secured public liability and player insurances and its games will go ahead as a stand-alone competition.

The Super League would now operate without any association with the Australian Rugby League or any of its affiliate bodies.

Anderson’s statement follows in full:

ABORIGINAL NATIONS SUPER LEAGUE

MEDIA RELEASE

It’s finished!

This is the latest in the struggle for the control of Aboriginal Rugby League in northern and north-west NSW.

The protracted debates between Mr. Terry Quinn, the Manager of the Country Rugby League, and the Aboriginal Nations Super League have got to the point where we have now withdrawn totally from any association with the ARL, the NSW Rugby League and Country Rugby League.

The demands from the Country Rugby League about our teams’ governances and finances are absolutely ridiculous. Terry Quinn’s demands are tantamount to blackmail. That is, if you don’t do this and give me all this information then I will not extend any of our insurance covers for the competition to go ahead. This is not acceptable and we would prefer not to have anything to do with a dictatorship of this nature.

Then there are the demands for an over-inflated registration cost. The insurance costs Country Rugby League gave us originally are very different from what Mr. Quinn is demanding now.

Originally the Country Rugby League requested $21.723.60 and now they request $30.344.40 to cover player insurances and public liability. No way. It might be a good idea for them to work themselves out before they begin to talk to us about governance.

But really, it comes down to the fact that the Country Rugby League is dying a slow death west of the Blue Mountains and they know it. What we have is an exciting development and they don’t know how to work with us to make this competition bigger.

Teams like Inverell pulling out of the Group 19 competition and other country teams like Werris Creek in Group 4 having to raid Moree Aboriginal community to establish a second grade side in order to ensure player strength and increase their player depth, shows clearly that most of the country rugby league clubs are struggling.

Despite the failings of the short-lived union between the Aboriginal Nations Super League and the Country Rugby League, the Super League games are going ahead as a stand-alone competition.
The Super League have now secured public liability and player insurances and will now operate without having any association with the ARL or any of its affiliate bodies.

We will now request that the federal and state ministers for Aboriginal affairs withdraw any funding that has been directed to the ARL for the development of Rugby League within the Aboriginal communities and re-direct those monies to the Aboriginal Nations Super League.

This proposal will be put to the Governing Council of the Aboriginal Nations Super League for their approval at the next meeting at Bourke on June 2nd.

Michael Anderson can be contacted at 02 68296355 landline, 04272 92 492 mobile, 02 68296375 fax, ngurampaa@bigpond.com.au